A movement rebirth at BAAD this fall

By. Megan Curet

In an era where dance artists are faced with over-coming appropriation and identity politics, BAAD (Bronx Academy of Art and Dance) has outdone themselves yet again. Proving with yet another exciting Fall line up, that we truly can connect all bodies to all forms of dance. Along the way we spotted three artist in particular at TiLLT that we think, embody our current focus of all others. From urban identity through contemporary forms with Maleek Washington, Street and House dance with Passion Fruit Dance Company and finally a new movement re-invigorating how we see and feel Afro-Latin dances with The Sabrosura Effect.

BAAD remains a haven to all LGBTQ, female and bodies of color in performance art. This upcoming collaboration between Pepatian/BAAD!'s Dance Your Future residency funded by the Jerome Foundation. Offers the opportunity for audience members alike to witness the array of diversity that exists amongst young creative dance makers in NYC.

Photography Whitney Browne

Washington’s recent visceral work, Shadows of Heaven confronts the complexities of family, incarceration, labor, and passage as it relates to his Black male experience in America, his Bronx blues. Washington maps memories of displacement, failure, and homage by weaving elements of hip hop and ballet, theater, and visual art. Sculpted by family, mentorship, storytelling, space, and risk, the work invites its viewers to witness, imagine, and question.

Tatiana Desardouin with Passion Fruit Dance Company questions, what is the groove and it's social meaning? Why is so important in the hip-hop and house communities? She also questions what is your process to find your groove? Uses her teaching method “Technique Within Your Groove” using isolations, lines, waves, rhythms, and steps to find herself within her dance. She questions how we become unique even if we are strongly and naturally influenced by each other in our hip-hop and house communities.

The Sabrosura Effect, formed of Beatrice Capote and Miguel Aparicio apply culture and movement into an exciting form. Through storytelling and historical Latin contemporary movements, To Infinity and Beyond takes a closer look into the power of the spiritual realm versus the power of the system controlling humanity. Engaging in the world of Cubanism and Latinismo that focuses on complex music, song, and dance. It is the space where profound folkloric elements create harmony with the universe. These elements are secrets of the universe taken into social setting that date back before Christ. Movement and what this dynamic duo presents, interposes a timeline. It is the timeline that displays present day

phenomenon of Salsa music and dance dating back to Cuba, back to Spain, back to gypsies, Arabic culture, regions of northern Africa, Egypt, and circulates back to Africa.

From a variety of movement, music and styles. To dynamic bodies and some of the most commanding emerging artist on the NYC and international performance scene. BAAD offers natives of the Bronx community and beyond, authentic performance of the highest caliber.